Syrian Protest Seen Bolstered by U.S. Visit

By

Nour Malas And

Jay Solomon

July 9, 2011

Syria slammed the U.S. government for inciting violence after tens of thousands of Syrians in the city of Hama defied a security crackdown and joined nationwide protests Friday—boosted by an unexpected visit to their city by the U.S. ambassador to Syria.

U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford arrived Thursday in Hama, a city where a 1982 artillery assault killed at least 10,000 people and recent protests have been among the largest against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The envoy's presence on a Friday—the day of Syria's biggest...